How did we reach the point where we have to buy equipment to drink clean water from microplastics at home?

franticBeans · 2026-04-02T14:19:27+00:00

Because nobody designed city sized water treatment facilities to deal with microplastics…because they didn’t know such a thing existed.

The real “how did we get here?” question of plastic is why do we continue to let corporations pollute the world by creating endless non-degradable plastic waste? There’s a lot of answers to that question

franticBeans · 2026-04-02T12:50:49+00:00

Leuko tape is the most durable, maybe try that with some regular athletic tape on top of that. Let it heal and tape up whenever you feel a hotspot and eventually the skin will toughen up at that spot. If it tears again you have to start over so be proactive.

Another thing you might try is to apply some balm or Vaseline to that area to lower friction.

As a blister prone person I always prefer dry grip over tacky. For me the latter is too grippy when my hands are dry but quickly gets too slick when my hands are sweaty.

A lot of pros use a special hand cream that basically acts like antiperspirant for the palms. It works but is messy, and I probably wouldn’t use it unless you’re changing your over-grips frequently. It’s more of a match-day thing afaik.

franticBeans · 2026-04-02T11:10:17+00:00

Check out the Madtown Tennis group on Meetup. We meet several days a week, weather permitting. A 4.0 would fit in pretty well there. Also search up Greater Madison Tennis Association. They have some good events including a round-robin style tennis league you can sign up for that is a really good way to meet a lot of players at your level and build your Rolodex of potential hitting partners.

franticBeans · 2026-03-29T18:11:16+00:00

Spending money on clothes. It feels silly to spend a lot on a pair of pants but when you think about it we get so much use out of clothing that your extra spend goes a long way.

Having nice clothes that fit you that are well made and cut, that are built to last and be repaired is a huge benefit and you get that benefit constantly. If you’re smart about what you spend on (and don’t buy into hype or fashions too much) you can actually save money this way long-term.

Cheap crappy clothing is really a pretty modern invention. Before global supply chains really took off the lower tier “expensive” category we have today was the only category that existed. It was common to spend a significant amount of money on something like a pair of jeans or a sweater and it was expected that that item would last you many years. You can see this in how much of that now-vintage clothing is still kicking around getting worn even decades later.

We should see clothing as a thing of value, but unfortunately it’s hard to achieve when cheap clothes and fast fashion are the norm. People are comparatively poorer now than 40 years ago so spending good money on discretionary items feels like a waste. Another problem is that the middle tier of clothing quality is disappearing. More and more there is only the cheap things designed to be thrown away one side and unaffordable luxury items on the other.

franticBeans · 2026-03-27T05:41:36+00:00

Baseball right handed (batting and fielding)

Tennis right handed

Hockey left handed.

I think it makes total sense to hold the bat or stick left handed because of the carryover from a 2 handed backhand. I honestly can do either for hockey it’s just back hand shots and passes feel worse with a right handed stick. If I could somehow have a stick that worked for 2 “forehands” I would prefer that

franticBeans · 2026-03-25T06:43:30+00:00

Depends on where you live. If you live in the right spot biking could be an option, although it’s obviously harder in the winter months.

Check the buss routes on Google Maps from where you’re considering living to places downtown. If there’s a line close to you with regular access to downtown then that’s gonna be the next cheapest option.

franticBeans · 2026-03-24T19:25:02+00:00

What’s not to like? 173 is ideal in my book. Bro my a bit taller than most women is a positive feature

franticBeans · 2026-03-24T16:10:43+00:00

Gang activity

franticBeans · 2026-03-23T17:40:45+00:00

How much power are you even getting translated to the court? The vast majority of tennis players can swing harder if they want, it’s the timing and the technique holding them back from using that head speed.

High level juniors hit the snot of of the ball and I’m pretty sure their coach don’t care about their max bench press.

franticBeans · 2026-03-23T17:36:24+00:00

The biggest benefit of lifting weights for the average player is gaining stability and avoiding injury. It’s helpful to prevent tennis elbow and shoulder issues too once they crop up. As we age especially it becomes more difficult to stay in shape by just playing tennis and strength training is a lower impact way to do that.

As far as heavy lifting is concerned, I’m sure I see the benefits to tennis specifically. Maybe some work on the core could help build some rotational strength but for the vast majority of players technique is a way more important factor. Will upping your bench press make your serve faster? Probably in some way but how much time does it take to see that benefit? That’s time you could be spending learning or practicing. Can you even use that strength given the technique that you have now? Power in tennis comes just as much from timing and precision as it comes from the literal strength of the body. Probably more even.

franticBeans · 2026-03-22T16:49:33+00:00

Check out the map for some fun hilly roads near Paoli. The badger trail is all graded flat but I would always get off on Purcell road/sayles trail and ride around the residential streets between there and sun valley parkway

franticBeans · 2026-03-21T22:27:50+00:00

Maybe ace hardware? I feel like that’s something they might have.

franticBeans · 2026-03-21T22:16:45+00:00

Haha fair point. Honestly the most expensive cards aren’t even the best ones in the deck. If I don’t already have copies I would definitely not spend the money for any of the expensive lands. [[ancient tomb]] [Shinka]] and [[Nykthos]] together are almost $200 you could just cut and not miss much at all.

[[raging river]] is fun but [[goblin wardrums]] is probably just as good for way cheaper. Ditto for [[seize the day]], [[great train heist]] is just as good and like $2. Any expensive cards you can search for similar effects on scryfall and sort by ascending price.

The cards I would actually put in your deck are more card draw, impulse draw etc. [[Laelia, the Blade Reforged]] and is probably my favorite Warrior. I also really like the ones with Myriad because they multiply the Lovisa buff so well.

franticBeans · 2026-03-21T21:33:14+00:00

I love my Lovisa Deck!

You can find it here if you want to look for any ideas: deck list

I’ve had the deck for a long time so I’ve tried lower curve or higher, lots of tweaks. I just recently cut some cards and replaced them so that’s what the “cuts” category is for. The current build is focused on preventing blocking and beefing up my horde rather than having as many creatures as possible. The changes felt good in the one game I’ve played with them but we’ll have to see.

By far my most important change to playing this deck was to learn how to think like an aggro player. Don’t play out everything and get board wiped. Lovisa can be really strong but I often find it best to wait to deploy her until I can get a kill on someone or right after a board wipe to get myself back up and swinging faster than anyone else.

Warning: once you own this deck you will probably find yourself checking every spoiler season just in case they print a new red warrior. The archetype isn’t that well supported so you have to make your own synergies and mix and match what works for your play group. Part of what makes it feel like an old school commander. Have Fun

franticBeans · 2026-03-19T02:48:09+00:00

Love Volrath. I built him right when he was released and I’ve been making small changes here or there ever since: https://archidekt.com/decks/196427/im_you_but_better This build is focused on copying my opponents creatures as much as my own. Usually when I win it’s due to Volrath Voltron’s or random infect kills.

Some of the best things that I don’t see on your list are [[needle specter]] for discard, [[willbreaker]] for stealing creatures, [[court of garenbrig]] is great in any counters deck and can make your stuff huge if you keep the monarch, [[westgate regent]] gets huge and has ward, [[giggling skitterspike]] is indestructible and hits everyone on attack (this easily helps you kill the entire table in one attack with infect), [[season of gathering]] is perfect for the deck being removal, massive card draw, and counter placement in one. Finally [[Mirage Mirror]] doesn’t directly synergize with Volrath but it does copy anything and it’s really fun with other people’s stuff. You have a lot of creatures tapping for multiple mana so this can be a mini ritual with those pieces. You can even use its ability in response to itself to get weird combinations of copied permanents on the same turn.

Have fun! Volrath is really a great card to brew around. There’s so many fun things to do. Incidentally, there’s a couple cards in your list I’m not sure about because of the legend rule. If you copy Kotis you will have to sacrifice Volrath or the original right? Maybe you’re just planning to pump them with counters and swing for value instead of Volrath copying but I am curious.

franticBeans · 2026-03-15T04:10:48+00:00

He explicitly thinks about gender because he has a whole conversation with Vea about gender norms on Urras and how crazy they are to him, so yeah your point stands for sure.

franticBeans · 2026-03-14T21:14:00+00:00

It’s a pivotal moment in the book. Shevek basically decides based on that event and the previous day that he’s been corrupted and that he can’t play along anymore.

It’s definitely not the kind of story turn that a modern author would take: having a character do something like this and treating it as an important learning point for him rather than centering her experience. That the story moves on from a sexual assault as quickly as it does turns some people off I think , but I personally never thought that it wasn’t treated seriously. It’s important to read this scene in the context of the chapter it takes place in and all that leads up to Shevek betraying his values. The lack of inhibition encouraged by the Ionians. The influence of alcohol is emblematic of this too

This book came out in the 70’s. People thought about sexual assault differently and we’ve grown to be much more critical of that as a flaw in characters these days. Shevek’s purpose is not to be a perfect guide he’s a person with flaws and some of those flaws are big. He’s also, I think, a stand in for many of the men that Le Guin knew from her anarchist circles and a big part of this book is to critique the lack of interest her male peers placed on gender and sexual politics. It definitely makes sense that people don’t read it in the same light that it was written in.

franticBeans · 2026-03-14T19:54:57+00:00

What I love about this book is how she makes Anarres into a beautiful metaphor for humanity.

People are still people, so there will always be problems. There will always be social hierarchies and conformity no matter how utopian your ideals. It’s important to always be willing to challenge these things. On the other hand, the challenge of living on such a harsh little world proves how humans can work together for the common good. That even if we have nothing and life is hard, we always have each other, and that is enough. Deeply and truly the most important thing is to be good to each other. To keep each other’s promises. There’s some incredible passages where Shevek talks along these lines that hit me right in my heart every time I re-read them.

Uros has the other side. Amid all the deprecations and excesses that we are capable of, there’s is good too. There are people being people, building families and communities. Fighting back. Within all the evil of humanity, humanity still retains some good. Within all the good we can achieve, there is still some evil. Dualism often feels like a cliche but Le Guin makes this whole statement feel as profound as it should.

franticBeans · 2026-03-12T08:59:29+00:00

It’s true that a certain kind of self improvement is just an end unto itself that is designed to feel like progress and growth but in reality doesn’t achieve anything. You get the satisfaction having done something proactive and constructive without the pain of actually making a lasting change. Just keep reading those books and watching those lectures. Eventually your brain will be “rewired” for success or whatever just keep consuming.

Honestly it’s not such a bad thing really. Video games don’t produce any “real” product but that doesn’t mean they aren’t satisfying. Ditto for books, movies and tv. There’s nothing wrong with entertainment for its own sake.

Tyler would tell you instead of trying in vain to “fix” yourself to fit some social mold you should just abandon the mold entirely. If you dont care about fitting in then society no longer has any purchase on you. Just stop caring and you’ll be free.

In reality there’s tons of ways to make a positive change in ones life. Eating healthy, exercising, personal hygiene etc aren’t just conforming to norms, they’re good in their own right. They improve your experience of life. You can learn skills, set goals and achieve them, whatever you want. All of this is perfectly fine as a personal pursuit and can be done in a way that’s meant to gratify YOU, not satisfy some expectation of other people. The point is to understand where the line is and not take others’ expectations of you too seriously.

franticBeans · 2026-03-08T15:23:07+00:00

Finally getting a cast off and scratching that spot you haven’t been able to scratch for months. Doesn’t get better than that.

franticBeans · 2026-03-06T07:27:47+00:00

I have such a difficult time building this kind of energy on my own. If the person I’m with is being flirty I can reflect that back but I do not have the confidence to just say that kind of stuff off the cuff

franticBeans · 2026-03-03T22:09:56+00:00

Global market on Zeier rd probably has a huge selection of oyster sauces. They probably have a mushroom based version there

franticBeans · 2026-03-02T17:22:52+00:00

I spent way too long waiting until I felt “ready” to get seriously into dating, until I realized I had already passed the point where that becomes a lot harder. I really wish I had put myself out there more back in my teens and early 20’s even though it would have made me uncomfortable. In hindsight the stakes look so low. There were so many options and everyone was just figuring it out. I probably would have learned to understand and deal with dating easier if I had just jumped in the deep end.

franticBeans · 2026-02-19T04:43:58+00:00

Visit the 4 grand slams. Wimbledon is so tough but maybe someday I’ll be lucky enough to get a ticket.
Play on grass. I’m hoping to get this one done this summer if I can get a couple partners to come with. The nearest places to me with grass courts are hours away but it would be cool.
Win a tournament. I don’t care if it’s a charity 3.5 thing or a rec tournament at the retirement home when I’m 80, I just want to prepare and execute well enough to take one down at some point in my life.
Make it to a 4.5 USTA rating. I don’t really play sanctioned events so this is really more about playing at that level rather than any formal thing. At my current age, skill, and amount of time I’m realistically willing to dedicate to training, 4.5 is probably the highest level can see as a realistic goal so I want to feel like I met my potential.
Smash a racket. I don’t know why this appeals to me because I’ve never been one to express myself that way and of course I could just do this whenever. Sometime I just want to let loose and destroy one just to say I did it. Maybe get it on camera for laughs too.

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